| Miami-Dade police. |
Basements don’t really exist in Florida what with a large chunk of the state sitting at or below sea level, which makes the discovery of four underground grow houses in Miami in recent weeks somewhat newsworthy.
On Monday, police raided what is now the fourth “underground” grow house this year, including two based out of swimming pools.
The U.S. Coast Guard recently unveiled some new high-tech, high-speed boats and already they’re showing spoils. The coast guard cutters Charles Sexton and Paul Clark last week intercepted two drug smuggling boats in the Caribbean and seized about $3 million worth of pot and cocaine.
| Jason Andrews. |
Jason Andrews, the outspoken marijuana activist whose previous pot case led to a hung jury, is behind bars awaiting trial for a brand new marijuana caper.
As the Weekly previously reported, Orange County sheriff’s detectives followed Andrews from a Lake Forest pot dispensary in Oct. 2010 and busted him with two 8-ounce sacks of marijuana, as well as $5,800 in cash. Prosecutors charged him with possession of marijuana with the intent to sell. Andrews refused to accept a plea agreement; his case went to trial. A lone juror refused to find him guilty, citing the fact that Andrews had a state-issued medical marijuana card allowing him to possess and cultivate the plant.
| (U.S. Air Force photo illustration by Tech. Sgt. Michael R. Holzworth) |
One of the darkest examples of the consequences of cannabis prohibition is the rise in recent years of synthetic marijuana alternatives, such as the all-too-popular brand K2, or “Spice”.
Although these so-called “synthetic cannabinoids”, intended to simulate the effects of real weed, are already banned in many states, and have been the focus of several high-profile DEA raids of late, the creators of the chemical mixtures simply alter their recipes ever so slightly to sidestep law enforcement and prosecution.
Colorado legislators have tried for years to find a state-centric solution to federal banking regulations as they apply to marijuana — rules that have forced many shops to deal mainly in cash. But previous efforts have failed, and many observers thought this year’s attempt at laying the groundwork for so-called marijuana co-operatives would meet the same fate. But the bill passed — barely — and awaits Governor John Hickenlooper’s signature.
What’s the measure do? Will co-ops ever come to pass? Or is the effort mainly symbolic? Here’s what Representative Jonathan Singer, the bill’s sponsor, has to say:
Last month’s Spice bust in Loveland, Colorado, in which a business owner and two employees were arrested for peddling a substance colloquially known as synthetic marijuana (even though it has little in common with cannabis), got plenty of attention. But the operation pales in comparison to a nationwide series of raids and arrests conducted by assorted federal, state and local agencies as coordinated by the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Colorado.
A bill decriminalizing up to ten grams of cannabis has been sent to Missouri Gov. Jay Nixon for signing. The measure would make the maximum possession of the small amount a fine, instead of up to a year in jail. There’s a catch though. Those caught and charged with pot possession in the past – any amount – are still facing possible jail time.
Read on for more.
| Toke of the Town. |
Medical marijuana in Connecticut has the support of 90 percent of registered voters, according to a Quinnipiac University poll release today. Support is also high for licensed medical marijuana dispensaries, with nearly 70 percent of respondents saying they would want a dispensary in their town.
| Emmanuael Ekaette. |
You know what doesn’t help the legalization cause? Being a complete jackass with your cannabis. Case and point: Chicagoland’s Emmanuael Ekaette, who was arrested and charged with purposefully feeding a 1-year-old a marijuana cake over the weekend.
The Minnesota House approved medical marijuana legislation Friday with overwhelming support that cut across party lines.
It’s passage, with a 86-39 vote, leaves Minnesota poised to become the 22nd state with a medical marijuana program. What that program will look like is still up in the air. A conference committee is now tasked with hashing out two very different bills before dropping the final decision on Gov. Mark Dayton.